


fell for you fast as lightning

by smolqueernerds



Category: The Ever Afters Series - Shelby Bach
Genre: Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, F/F, F/M, Hopelessly In Love With Rory Landon Support Group, I do not understand fighting or exercise, I never meant to finish this but here we are, Lesbian Character of Color, Multi, Nonbinary Character, POV Lesbian Character, Rory's childhood best friend briefly mentioned in OWAW makes an appearance, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, a slight dig at the duality of Chase's eye color, if you're still here thanks but stop reading the tags and start reading the story, sorry about the formatting and also the plot and the writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 13:52:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10641171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolqueernerds/pseuds/smolqueernerds
Summary: AU where Rory teaches a self-defense class and Adelaide, Chase, and Rory are among her students.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lulla_lunekjaer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulla_lunekjaer/gifts).



Adelaide still can't decide whether or not she regrets signing up for this class.

It was an impulse decision, admittedly, a knee-jerk response to her mother's fears about "a girl like you going out alone at night in a neighborhood that, well, liberal"; her fate was sealed by a flippant, through-gritted-teeth "I can karate chop anyone who gives me trouble" as she terminated the Skype call. Because her mother texted her a five-paragraph essay moments later about how this was simply the most inappropriate thing Adelaide had done in ages, and after that, she just had to make good on her word.

They're only twenty minutes into her first session, and she can already feel every muscle in her body that's going to be sore tomorrow morning. Before this class, the most strenuous exercise she'd done in months was hauling shopping bags into her car.  
But damn, the instructor is fine. She's a hazel-eyed brunette and looks to be about Adelaide's age. Adelaide has never been great with words, but she kind of has the urge to write odes about Rory’s muscle definition. Granted, it would probably turn into the kind of dirty limerick that got her kicked out of creative writing halfway through the semester in high school.

"Your technique needs work," the blond guy next to her says with a dimpled smirk, interrupting her thoughts. "And I'm not just talking about your punches, although you really need more of a shoulder roll for max effect."

"What are you talking about, then?" Adelaide shoots back, purposefully stiffening her shoulders as she continues to pound the bag with aching knuckles.

"You've been staring at Rory for five minutes straight, pun only somewhat intended. I recommend more of a thirty seconds on, fifteen seconds off technique. Don't worry, she hasn't noticed yet."

Every part of Adelaide's body stiffens this time. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Then Rory accidentally drops a small barbell and leans down to pick it up, and only a decade's worth of the self-discipline learned by living thoroughly in the closet allows Adelaide to keep from squeaking. But the infuriatingly observant guy next to her must catch the slight widening of her eyes, because his grin stretches almost inhumanly wide. "Sure you don't."

"If you say anything about us making out in front of you," Adelaide says, carefully layering sugar over the poison in her tone, "I'll introduce your corneas to my fingernails and then report you to the management for sexual harassment."

Blue eyes widen. "Hey, no! Sorry, no, I did NOT mean - oh, hell, this is coming out so wrong. I was going to initiate a connection with some lighthearted teasing and use our newfound rapport as a springboard to invite you to coffee."

"I'm not into guys."

"I am, but that's not why I was asking. It would be a group thing. Lena's coming, too." He points to a pretty black girl on the other side of the room. "And Ben, and Chatty." He gestures to a redheaded guy and a person with a blue mohawk in their opposite corner. “And Kyle.” A guy two over from Chatty. “We always meet up after class.”

“Alright,” Adelaide says, shoving down her reservations. If she's going to do the whole “probably ill-advised spur-of-the-moment decision,” might as well really commit and see where it takes her.

******************

"Found us a new member, guys," Chase announces as he shoves through the coffee shop door, then swings around to hold it open for Adelaide.

"Welcome," the group taking up two shoved-together round tables says in almost eerie unison, with a smattering of much less synchronized applause.

"Adelaide, welcome to the Hopelessly In Love With Rory Landon Support Group," Chase says as he draws up a seat.

Adelaide stops short. "Love?"

"Yeah - wait, are you aro? Or just uncomfortable with that? Sorry. You don't actually have to be in love with her or anything to join. We had a motion to change it to the "Hopelessly Attracted to Rory Landon Support Group", but somebody pointed out that we'd have to change all our monogrammed stationery-"

"You have monogrammed stationery?"

"No, but anyway, the motion didn't pass, maybe because our orders showed up then and we all forgot to actually vote on it because we were busy fighting over the raspberry scones. Anyway!" Chase directs his attention to the other people around the table. "Guys, we have a newcomer, so how about some introductions? Name, pronouns, pertinent details of identity, reason you're here. I'll start. I'm Chase Turnleaf, he/him, bi trans guy, and I'm here because when I go, I want my obituary to read, 'Cause of Death: Rory Landon's thighs.' We're going counterclockwise, so Lena's up next."

Lena gives her a tiny fluttery wave. "I'm Lena LaMarelle, she/her, asexual transgender lesbian, and one time Rory brought her little sister Dani to class because her daycare was closed for the day and we held class outside because it was sunny and Rory made Dani a crown of dandelions and kissed her forehead and it was the cutest thing to ever exist - I should know, I’m a history major. And engineering and physics, with a minor in women’s and gender studies. Ben, you go."

Redheaded guy smiles at Adelaide and asks, "Do you know ASL?"

"Sorry, no."

"Okay, then. I'm Ben Taylor, he/him, bisexual, and this is my datemate Sherah Leong. They're pansexual and genderfluid and use they/them pronouns, and everyone calls them Chatty because Chase started it and now it won't stop. They're fine with either name."

Chatty grins at her, then nudges Ben and starts signing. Ben nods and says, "They'd like to add that we're monogamous, but can still appreciate that Rory Landon's body is a gift from the gods, and it's fun to watch the others try to seduce her."

"Is... seduction.... the point of this group, then?" Adelaide asks, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Well, not for them, and not for me," says the guy at the end of the table stirring a glass of iced tea. "I'm Kyle, he/him, gay, and I show up to these meetings because y'all are decent company. Chase and Lena are the ones who want to date Rory. And maybe you, now. What's your story, new individual?"

"Um, hi," Adelaide says. "I'm Adelaide Radcliffe, she/her, lesbian, and I'm here because Chase caught me staring at Rory in class. I mean, yeah, if Rory was interested in me, I'd go out with her. But if you guys have dibs, I don't want to-"

"Oh, no," Lena interrupts. "That's not it at all. The thing is, we don't know Rory's sexuality."

"Plus, if she's straight, will she date trans guys? If she's gay, will she date trans girls? If she's bi or pan, is she just plain transphobic?" Chase asks rhetorically.

"Or racist or aphobic," Lena adds in.

"We've seen no signs of any of the above, but you can't always tell. I guess if she'll only date cis girls, you're welcome to her," Chase finishes off.

"I wouldn't date any kind of bigot, no matter how cute she is," Adelaide says. "But how long have you been trying to figure out her sexuality?"

"Weeks," Chase says. "Four of them, to be exact. We've stalked social media, I've flirted and punned - Lena's too scared to - we even all wore pride pins a few days ago, and nothing. And even if we could know what genders she likes, we still have to figure out if she'd want to date one of us specifically."

“It’s not a competition or anything, though,” Lena rushes to add. “No dibs. Her choice all the way. Autonomy!”

“We’re all feminists here, Lena,” Chase says, eyes rolling, but tone full of genuine reassurance. 

“Anyway, do you have any thoughts?” Lena asks, leaning forward over the table. “Um, a plan of action, so to speak?”

“Not yet,” Adelaide says. “But give me a couple days, and I will.”

 

“Why did I say that,” Adelaide says, bent over so that her forehead is brushing her steering wheel. “What did I possibly think I had to gain from saying that. Why. Whywhywhywhywhy-”

Her head slips and lands on the button for the horn. She yanks back quickly, but not before a short blast rings through the parking lot. God, why.

The flailing of her elbows as she recoils turns her windshield wipers on and rolls her windows down halfway, but there is no way she is moving on. She's just going to curl into a ball in this driver’s seat and never move again.

“What? No, wait - yeah, the sound’s clearer now, I think the connection's okay. Anyway, where was I?”

Oh. Oh, no. Adelaide knows that voice, and she just listened to its owner talk about the proper cautions to observe during weight training for fifteen minutes.

“Right, my personal problems. Are you sitting down, Marta? That's okay, you don't need to be, because they're all lame. Mom and Dad got into another Twitter feud because she said she and Amy are a cuter couple than him and Bree, and now there's all these polls going around and people keep DMing me about it because the public found my new Twitter. Believe me, I’d love to delete for good, but then I couldn’t follow Lin-Manuel Miranda.”

Adelaide, still frozen, makes a mental note of the fact that a) Rory Landon is THE Rory Landon, the daughter of one of today’s most iconic bisexual actresses and her snarky publicist wife, both of whom Adelaide follows on Twitter and votes for in every “Mamy vs. Breric” poll b) Rory Landon probably likes Hamilton, and maybe in the Heights and 21 Chump Street, which could be useful information for serenading or something. If Adelaide could sing, and also pull off that kind of grand romantic gesture without spontaneously combusting.

“What else? Dani hasn't beat any of the other kids up lately, I even brought her to my karate class the other day and she was an absolute angel - oh, my god, Marta, my class. MY CLASS. I can't believe I haven't told you about this crisis yet.”

Adelaide heroically resists the urge to make any kind of effort to hear better, as those would result in motion, which could result in discovery, which would result in instant death. Somehow.

“Marta,” Rory says plaintively, “every person taking my karate class is so attractive. I mean, not literally all of them, there are a couple of old people. And there’s a gay guy and a couple who don’t seem poly, but - okay, so there’s this one guy, and he’s got dimples - yeah, my dad does too, why - ugh, shut up, they're cute on this guy! And his eyes are so green, and I don't think he’s wearing contacts? I don't know, he’s got that whole “hot and arrogant but secretly awesome” thing straight white male leads are always supposed to have on TV, except he’s not straight or white, and I want to fight him in a back alley while talking about bi erasure and then make out with him over Chinese takeout.”

Lucky Chase, Adelaide thinks, with only a smallish twinge of envy. Middleish twinge. Maybe largish. But she’s genuinely happy for him, honestly.

“And then there’s this girl, oh my god, her eyes are so gorgeous, every time she takes off her glasses I'm hypnotized. And her voice is just as pretty as her eyes, and her core muscles need work but her legs have amazing tone, she’s gay and ace, and I want to cuddle with her on my couch and listen to her read to me from one of the giant textbooks she’s always lugging around.”

Wow, Lena too? There’s a slightly hysterical laugh lurking somewhere in Adelaide’s throat, and she swallows hard to suppress it.

“So those two have been coming to my class for weeks now, and I’ve gotten used to them, right? But this new girl showed up today, and oh my god, she looks like every cheerleader I ever crushed on in high school. She doesn’t need a self-defense class, if anyone attacks her she can slice them up with her cheekbones. If she smiled, I bet muggers would give her their wallets. I haven't seen her smile yet but it’s probably amazing.”

Adelaide bites down on her knuckles to muffle a disbelieving scream. 

“Anyway, she's probably straight, and I think Green Eyes Guy - his name’s really Chase, but never mind - anyway, it looked like he was hitting on her in class, and they left together. So they’ll probably date, and Glasses Girl - Lena - will date somebody else or just enter a committed relationship with the factors that led to the War of 1812, and my pathetic poly self will be all aloooooone. What do you mean, have I tried asking any of them out? Of course not! They're all my students, technically, that's an imbalance of power, and it's not like any of them’ve shown any interest or anything-”

You’ve got to be kidding me, Adelaide thinks, except somehow it accidentally comes out of her mouth as well, and quite loudly, and there are several seconds of stunned silence before Rory says faintly, “Marta, I’m going to have to call you back.”

“Hi,” Adelaide says as she straightens herself (well, her spine, the rest of her’s a lost cause) and steps out of the car. Her face is on fire as she meets Rory’s eyes, but she takes a deep breath, smiles widely, and forges onward because to hell with manners and explanations and common sense. “I’m Adelaide Radcliffe, and on behalf of myself, Chase Turnleaf, and Lena LaMarelle, I’d like to invite you to lunch at all of our earliest conveniences. Because we’re all kind of into you, and, um. Sounds like there actually might be a pretty good way to work this all out?”

Silence again, but somehow of a more promising sort.

“Hi, Adelaide Radcliffe,” Rory Landon says, tilting her head to the side. “I was right. Your smile is amazing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Dinner is eaten. Poly relationship negotiations are made. Things are worked out. Rory is eventually serenaded with Hamilton songs (Chase sings, the others beatbox).
> 
> Also, Chase is half-Pakistani, and Maggie is married to Amy, if that wasn't clear.


End file.
